The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-25
DECORATED STOVES
Tho Craze for stoves Ornamonted
with Fancy TILES and Bronze
Images


An unusually lafge number of stove
dealers from out of town. says The Neto
York Natl and cypress. have been in
the city the last few days purchasing
their fall supplies. There is the liveliest
sort of a craze for stoves ornamented
with fancy tiles and bronze images.
"Why, the stove has now got to be as
ornamental as any other part OF the
house." said Mr.. Henry Gleason, an
active member of the Republican club,
who has made the subject of stove
decoration special study for years,
land the consequence is that just now
all the manufacturers are doing their
best to get ahead of one another in this
matter of stove decoration. The resS;,,t
will be to put on the retail market 3
fall stoves that III ornamentation will
surpass anything ever before made.
You remember when Oscar Wilde was
here, about SIX years agop Well, the
change began then, and was caused by
his criticising our stoves and calling
them of pump log style, decorated
with funeral urns. That same year
a company was started to make tiles
and bronzes fur stoves, and the result
is seen to-day in complete revolution
in the stove trade. Now the manufact-
urers are trying to see who can turn
out the most giddy stove. They are
putting lots of money in it, too. Many
recent models are from plaster casts,
and know of complete sets of castings
that cost 5000 and S15. 600 each.
Among the bronze figures that are
the rage for stoves are Roman warriors.
gladiators, Knights of the Red Cross
on horseback, Charles ", Joan of Arc,
which is a great favorite, and many
"Mikado" characters. One of the fav-
orite pieces is 1.-THE Fluteplayer,"
which was modelled after the original
in the Stewart collection. The figure
is placed on top of the stove and does
away wholly with all suggestion of the
funeral urn" All these bronzes are
so tastefully gotten up and look SO
much like the real article that, as a
rule, they are taken from the stove and
used as mantel ornaments during the
summer.
Another reason given why they are
so greatly in favor is that system
has been discovered here for making
them very cheaply. Sometimes the
models are designed in this country.
but in most cases an imported French
bronze" piece is bought and used as a
model. This costs perhaps $40. The
purchased model Is devided into pieces
with the aid of blow pipe, and
separate plaster cast is made of each
piece. This is done because it is i'm
possible to cast cheaply the entire figure
in one mold. From these plaster casts
brass molds are made, which, when
finished. are given to the casters. Then
begins the work of making the figures.
One caster has, for example, the mold
of the left arm, another that of the
right arm. and so on until all parts are
distributed, The different casters fill
their ladies with molten spelter; each
ladleful being enough to make num-
Der OF casts. Holding the mold in his
left hand, which is protected by COW
ering of heavy cloth, the caster quickly
pours the spelter through a funnel
shaped orifice at the end of the mold,
until the latter is filed As soon as
the mold is filed the speltcr is poured
back into the ladle, leaving q thickish
shell clinging TO the inside of the mold.
With single blow the latter is opened
and out drops complete cast Of sill
very docking metal, the entire opera
ton not having taken more than five
seconds. The pieces are taken to the
trimmers, who, with machinery, cut
away the uneven edges. Next the pie
ces are carefully joined and soldered
by expert workmen. The next opera
tons are ''bufiing." or smoothing the
surface. which is done with mixture
Of grease and fine sand. and "washing."
which is to dip the figure in potash and
then wash it. Then the figure is ready
for the platter, who gives ii wash In
brass. copper, or other solutions, after
which the finishing touches are put on
and 1t is ready for market. The figure
can be sold for 81 with a reasonable